SKL is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn affiliate commission. Learn more here.
Are you looking to support some sustainable and high-quality American-made clothing brands this year?
Our team has got you covered! We’ve put together an epic list of the best sustainable clothing brands that are proudly made in the USA. No fast fashion here folks; these brands are built to last.
Sustainable Fashion Proudly Made In The USA.
When trying to shop more sustainably, one thing we can all do is to try and reduce the carbon footprint of what we buy. This can mean choosing sustainably produced materials and eco-friendly packaging, but it can also mean reducing the distance that the clothing has to travel before it reaches us.
Clothes that are made in countries far away from us require more energy to be shipped overseas either by air or sea freight, resulting in a larger carbon footprint.
Brands that are based in the US but get their clothes made overseas often have very complex supply chains. This can mean that a brand is connected to several different factories and manufacturers for their clothes, each with its own policies (or lack thereof) for pay, working conditions, and workers’ rights.
This can make it nearly impossible for us as consumers to verify how these clothes have been made, who made them, and under what conditions. Fast fashion brands, in particular, are regularly exposed for using loopholes to avoid taking accountability for the garment workers in their supply chain.
What does “American Made” clothing mean?
American-made clothing simply means the garment or footwear that has been made or “assembled” in the United States. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the material, dyes, threads, fastenings, etc are made in America; it just means that it’s been put together here.
When we know a product has been made in America, we have a better idea of the working conditions and safety regulations that garment workers operate within. However, just because a product or garment says ‘Made in the USA’, it doesn’t guarantee the quality or sustainability of that item. Not to fear, our roundup has only the most ethical and sustainable American-Made clothing brands!
Do all American-made companies pay their workers a living wage?
It is important to note that not all American-made clothing brands pay a living wage. As of December 2021, the living wage in the United States is $24.16 per hour. This amount has been calculated to support an individual’s average requirements for food, childcare, health care, housing, transportation, and other necessities.
The federal minimum wage in America is $7.25 per hour. A lot of fashion brands operate through a piece-rate payment system that compensates workers for just a few cents per article of clothing. This often means that workers end up being paid even less than minimum wage. In 2021, a Department of Labor investigation found that the brand Fashion Nova relies on a network of sweatshops in Los Angeles, California, paying workers as little as $2.77 an hour.
Several other brands have been linked to factories in Los Angeles that have been exposed for paying below the minimum wage and even wage theft (when your employer doesn’t give you, the worker, what they owe you) including Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Harley Davidson, and Urban Outfitters.
Why don’t more brands make their clothes in the USA?
Since 1960, the amount of clothing manufactured in the USA has dropped from 95% to 2%. The main reason why most US brands still produce their clothing overseas is down to cost. It is much cheaper to produce clothes in countries like China and India, where they have cheap labor, easier access to raw materials, and the ability to mass produce orders fast.
How can I tell if an American-Made brand is sustainable?
As with any brand, the way to check if an American-made clothing brand is sustainable is to make sure they offer you, as the consumer, all the information you need.
Are they being transparent with their supply chain and where they get their materials from? Have they told you what they’re doing to minimize their environmental impact? Do they produce a sustainability report each year available for you to read?
You can also see if any official regulatory body accredits them in regard to their materials, ethical practices, and sustainability claims. For example, GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) certifies organic textiles, and B Corporation is a certification given to companies that balance purpose and profit.
It is also important to look out for greenwashing, where a brand makes environmental claims that cannot back up, often using vague, green-sounding language or misleading or irrelevant statistics.
This post is about sustainable American-made clothing brands.
Best Sustainable American-Made Clothing Brands
1. Amour Vert
Based in San Francisco, Amour Vert creates business casual women’s clothes, shoes, and accessories. As well as being made in America, they plant a tree for every t-shirt they sell!
Bonus? Their sustainable products are shipped using compostable and recycled materials.
Amour Vert uses materials like Cupro from repurposed cotton seed waste, Tencel, organic cotton, and linen and produces their clothes in limited quantities to reduce waste.
Price: $17+
Ethics: Compostable and recycled packaging, limited runs, a resale marketplace
Made In: San Francisco, California, USA
2. Christy Dawn
Christy Dawn prides itself on being an American-made farm-to-closet company committed to practices that honor Mother Earth and all her people.
They create beautiful, ethically-made dresses using regenerative materials (an approach to managing agroecosystems that provides fibers and materials in ways that create positive outcomes for nature) and deadstock fabrics.
Their main production center is in LA, and in India, they are working towards creating a fully regenerative fiber shed.
Price: $27 – $598
Ethics: Farm-to-closet, regenerative materials, deadstock fabrics
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
3. Reformation
One of the most well-known American brands, Reformation, produces sustainable clothing from dresses to workout clothes. Reformation makes some of its clothes in its LA factory and some at partner factories around the world.
They disclose 100% of their Tier 1 finished goods manufacturers and subcontractors within their supply chain.
Since 2020, every employee of Reformation receives a living wage and they are working towards the goal of every partner factory having fair wage programs by 2025.
Price: $33+
Ethics: Transparency, living wages, certified Climate Neutral
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
4. MATE The Label
MATE is a female-founded company producing “Clean Essentials” made sustainably in the United States (Los Angeles) with non-toxic, natural, and organic materials.
Their loungewear sets are perfect for the post-pandemic style, and their activewear looks good enough to get us working out again!
The MATE supply chain is localized to a 15-mile radius, with all products being cut, sewn, dyed, packaged, and shipped from their LA factory.
Price: $30+
Ethics: Female-founded, organic and non-toxic materials, certified Climate Neutral
Made In: Los Angeles, California
5. Passion Lille
Passion Lille, an American-made clothing brand from New Orleans, combines classic silhouettes with the craft of handwoven ikat and playful block prints.
Each piece is ethically handmade in small batches in India. Talented artisans pour their hearts into preserving heritage techniques, weaving a story of culture and craftsmanship into every thread.
Plus, Passion Lille partners with a handloom weaving studio to transform textile ‘waste’ into a precious resource. Leftover cotton finds new life, evolving into usable fabric for more exquisite creations.
Price: $35+
Discount Code: SKL15
Ethics: Fair Trade Federation Member, Fair Trade Certified factory, organic fabrics and dyes, GOTS Certified Cotton
Made In: New Orleans, USA
6. LA Relaxed
LA Relaxed designs and makes all its ethical women’s apparel under one roof in Los Angeles, California.
Using plant-based and deadstock material, they create high-quality organic dresses, shirts, and pants for everyday use, and they produce their garments in limited runs to avoid waste.
Price: $35+
Ethics: Plant-based materials, deadstock fabric, living wage
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
7. Avocado
Avocado produces timeless and functional pieces, all of which are designed, knit, sewn, and hand-dyed entirely in the United States (Los Angeles), massively reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting goods.
Their leggings, bras, and tops are made of Sensil Nylon which provides odor control and sweat-wicking abilities.
Price: $45+
Ethics: Locally made, hand-dyed materials
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
8. The Checkroom
Liz Williams, the Founder of The Checkroom, made a commitment to creating modern women’s outerwear that is built to last and designed with functionality.
All of their coats and jackets are made in her home studio in Chicago using small-batch production methods and American-made fabrics like Tencel, cotton, and wool. Liz also has a ‘made to order’ option on most styles!
Price: $625+
Ethics: Size-inclusive, small batch production, made to order
Made In: Chicago, Illinois, USA
9. Big Bud Press
Big Bud Press produces unisex, everyday pieces and prides itself on its ethical and local manufacturing practices.
More than 98% of the fabric they use is grown and made in America and is NAFTA certified.
Their high-quality and sustainable tops, pants and jumpsuits are heavily inspired by 70’s style and come in gorgeous earth tones and colorful prints.
Price: $38+
Ethics: Recycled packaging, homegrown fabric, transparency
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
10. Vetta Capsule
Vetta is committed to working with responsible American factories that pay their workers fairly, have safe working environments, and protected employment rights.
They use sustainable materials like linen, Tencel, and organic cotton to create sweaters, pants, tops, and dresses for women. Vetta also sells mini capsule wardrobes made up of five versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to create a month’s worth of outfits.
Price: $49+
Ethics: Sustainable materials, capsule collections, transparency
Made In: New York, New York, and Los Angeles, California, USA
11. Buck Mason
American-made classics, proudly designed and made in the USA? That’s what we want to hear!
Buck Mason specializes in durable, timeless menswear and womenswear from sustainable tees and shirts to coats and jackets, all designed to be wearable for years to come.
They also make all their staple tees with ethical cotton grown in the US.
Price: $38+
Ethics: durable design, American-grown cotton
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
12. Brooke There
Looking for organic cotton lingerie, designed and made in America?
Brook There creates minimalist lingerie in effortless styles and colors you can wear and love for years. They use organic cotton made from GOTS-certified yarn, milled and dyed in the sunny state of California.
Price: $28+
Ethics: GOTS-certified organic cotton, recycled packaging
Made In: Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
13. Groceries Apparel
Groceries Apparel aims to redefine transparency and human responsibility by supporting family farms, localized manufacturing, living wages, and Monsanto-free post-consumer ingredients.
They use organic cotton, eucalyptus, recycled plastic, hemp, recycled cotton, and natural dyes made from plants in their collections.
They manufacture all their products in their factory in Los Angeles to ensure their standards are fully executed and keep their supply chain as local as possible to reduce their carbon footprint.
Price: $16+
Ethics: Plant-based materials, living wages, transparency
Made In: Los Angeles, California, USA
14. Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman creates high-quality pieces ranging from swimwear to dresses, using natural, recycled, and organic fibers.
They list all the factories they work with, both within the US and around the world, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Price: $155+
Ethics: Climate Neutral certified, transparency, compostable, and recycled packaging
Made In: New York, New York and Los Angeles, California, USA
15. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is on a mission to make sustainability sexy! All of their bikinis and bodysuits are sustainably made in the USA, California to be exact, from plant-based and recycled materials.
On top of that, they are also a member of 1% For the Planet, giving back to organizations that work to protect our oceans and the environment.
Price: $20+
Ethics: Plant-based and recycled materials, 1% For the Planet
Made In: Los Angeles, California
Best Sustainable American-Made Clothing Brands
We hope this list of amazing USA-made fashion brands has inspired you to shop locally the next time you’re online shopping!
p.s If you want to check which other American brands are paying a living wage, we recommend using the Fashion Checker website. They also look at supply chain transparency and whether a brand has made a public commitment to paying their workers a living wage.
If you liked this post, you’ll definitely want to check out these other posts from SKL:
+ show Comments
- Hide Comments
add a comment